- The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) has issued guidelines to enable and regulate biofuel bunkering activities in accordance with established global standards and best practices.
- The primary goal of these proposed guidelines is to establish a comprehensive and consistent regulatory framework for biofuel bunkering.
India’s Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) has released a draft circular proposing the country’s first national guidelines for biofuel bunkering and is inviting stakeholder comments by July 18, reports Safety4sea.
Draft Biofuel Bunkering Guidelines
The proposed framework aims to regulate the safe and sustainable delivery of biofuels derived from feedstock such as FAME and HVO to vessels at Indian ports, anchorages, and offshore locations, as per the circular issued by the ministry.
It covers key areas including safety protocols, environmental safeguards, documentation, crew training and certification of bunker suppliers.
Biofuel has been increasingly becoming popular in global ports as it can be used as a drop-in fuel in existing ships to reduce emissions. However, the availability of biofuel blends remains limited or unavailable across major Indian ports, hampering adoption.
The new guidelines seek to close this gap by aligning domestic practices with international standards, including IMO conventions and ISO 8217:2024.
Biofuel bunker transfers via tank trucks, pipelines and ship-to-ship operations are included under the scope.
The DGS has called on shipowners, suppliers, port authorities and other industry players to review the draft and submit their inputs ahead of finalising the policy.
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Source: Safety4sea
